RAPID CITY, S.D. - The Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Air Force Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, visited one of the largest and longest-running National Guard exercises in the country this week, Golden Coyote. Lengyel visited the 30th annual training exercise June 8-9 throughout western South Dakota and at Camp Guernsey, Wyoming.
Hosted by the South Dakota Army National Guard and held in the Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park – the two-week exercise, which began June 7 and continues until June 21, provides National Guard, Reserve and active-duty military units with relevant training opportunities in support of overseas contingency operations and homeland support missions.
"I came to talk to the service members," said Lengyel. "I wanted to see what kind of training they are conducting and hear their perspective to find out what we can do to help them become better Soldiers and Airmen in the National Guard."
"It was a distinct honor to show the vice chief the excellent training that occurs during our Golden Coyote exercise," said Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch, the adjutant general of the South Dakota National Guard. "The best salesmen and women we have are the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen who participate each year."
This year, more than 4,400 service members from 45 units representing 15 states, which includes soldiers from five allied nations from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, Suriname and Germany, are participating in the exercise. Units come from multiple branches of military service – Army, Navy and Air Force – to conduct combat support and combat service support missions in a realistic environment and work together to create an invaluable training experience.
During the two-day tour, Lengyel stopped to see first-hand how the Missouri National Guard’s 311th Brigade Support Battalion, purifies 1,500 gallons an hour for the exercise.
"It was a great opportunity for Alpha Company Soldiers to demonstrate the capabilities of the tactical water purification system," said Capt. Ryan Borgmeyer, unit commander. "It was awesome to see that Lt. Gen. Lengyel was willing to go the extra mile and drink a sample out of the purification system itself."
Not only did Lengyel learn how the 311th is providing water to three forward operating bases but he took the time to talk to the Soldiers about their careers, Borgmeyer said.
"It was outstanding that Lt. Gen. Lengyel would talk to the Soldiers about the continuation of their service," said Borgmeyer. "It meant a lot to the troops."
Another highlight during Lengyel’s visit was witnessing an airborne assault mission consisting of a mass-tactical, four-ship airborne operation for the first time during Golden Coyote and Army National Guard history at Camp Guernsey.
Two-hundred and fifty paratroopers from the Texas Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) exited out of the C-130s and landed to secure the John Edmunds drop zone as they infiltrated Golden Coyote.
"This is the first time in Army National Guard history that we have been able to drop hundreds of Soldiers in one fell swoop," said Maj. Max H. Krupp, 1-143rd commander, who greeted Lengyel shortly after jumping. "We usually only have two aircraft, but this operation shows that we are diverse and our capabilities are comparable to the active duty."
Lengyel expressed how great the Golden Coyote exercise is because of the realistic training opportunities from the truck drivers hauling equipment hundreds of miles to setting up a forward operating base in muddy conditions on a rainy day.
"This has been a great opportunity to step away from Washington, D.C., and see service members train," Lengyel said. "I have found that Golden Coyote is a fantastic exercise. These are real missions Soldiers and Airmen are able to do for annual training. This reinforces how the National Guard is an important part of the United States Army. To see us all come together for this exercise makes me more convinced that the Army National Guard is a better force than it’s ever been in its 377th year."